Minneapolis schools reach tentative agreement with union representing teachers and support staff

Minneapolis Public Schools and its teachers and support staff have reached tentative contract agreements that could end the strike that has shuttered schools for weeks. See the agreements here.

The deals were announced early Friday morning, but it was still unclear as the school week ended when the district's 28,700 students would be back in class.

School district leaders said students could return as soon as Monday, but that depended on the outcome of negotiations with the union on a return-to-work agreement. Those talks, which also cover when to make up missed class days, remained ongoing into the evening, and parents and students were eager for updates.

Destiny Barron, a mother of three Minneapolis students — one in elementary, one middle and one in high school — said it's hard not to be able to plan for Monday.

"I don't even know if I'm hopeful," she said Friday afternoon. "I'm just kind of on edge about it."

Earlier in the day, school district officials called the tentative deals "fair and equitable," and leaders of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers characterized them as "historic agreements."

"I'm extremely grateful for their work, determination and dedication," Superintendent Ed Graff said in a statement praising teachers and education support professionals. "I am equally grateful to families and community organizations who supported their students through enormous difficulties during this time out of school."

The deal, Graff said, will require the district to "look at our budgets and make some adjustments moving forward."

The tentative agreements have not yet been released to the public, but union leaders shared some details at a Friday afternoon news conference.

The agreement "significantly raises" wages for education support professionals, bringing them "very close" to the union's original goal of a $35,000 starting wage, said Shaun Laden, president of the education support professional chapter of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers. A $19.83 hourly starting wage for the vast majority of education support professionals will jump to $23.91 under the new contract, he said.

The union also fought for additional hours and days for education support professionals, but those are in temporary agreements, not contract language, Laden said.

Greta Callahan, president of the Minneapolis union's teachers chapter, said the agreement, if ratified and approved, would add mental health support teams in elementary schools and ensure a social worker in each school building.

The deal also includes class size caps, Callahan said. Though the numbers are higher than what the union had hoped, she said it was a win to get the limits in contract language.

"We know we wouldn't be here without doing what we had to do," Callahan said. "This is a historic day."

The union said in a news release that the ratification vote would happen over the weekend.

At a news conference Friday morning, Graff said the tentative agreements came together between 3:30 and 4 a.m.

School Board Chair Kim Ellison thanked students and the community for their "persistence, patience, ideas and advocacy" and thanked both negotiating teams and the school board.

"The last few weeks have affirmed what many of you already knew — Minneapolis is a place of passion and compassion, a place where people will do anything for our children," she said.

Gov. Tim Walz, a former teacher, welcomed news of a deal on Twitter and praised the state Bureau of Mediation Services for working with the district and union.

"We're engaged, we're happy with this tentative agreement," Walz said later in an interview with Minnesota Public Radio.

Outside the school district's headquarters in north Minneapolis, jubilation filled the air Friday morning as union members clad in bright blue sweaters and beanies swarmed the building while district officials addressed reporters inside.

Stacey Bellows, a preschool teacher at Mona Moede Early Learning Center, said she rallied with her fellow educators in hopes that education support professionals in her building will earn enough that they don't have to work two jobs to make ends meet. She also can't wait to see her students again.

"I don't care about lesson plans, I'm going to have a hugging day," Bellows said.

Xcaret Millan-Garcia, 10, had one word to describe how she felt Friday morning.

"Exhausted," she said.

The Sheridan Elementary fourth-grader misses her classmates and teacher. Her mother, Tania Garcia, is an education support professional and she, too, looks forward to seeing the families she works with again.

As she prepares to vote on the tentative agreement, Garcia said she can't help but think that it's been more than 50 years since Minneapolis educators were in a similar position.

"I feel like a part of history now," she said.

The strike, which began March 8, was the first in the district since 1970.

During negotiations, the union sought higher wages for teachers and education support professionals, class-size caps, and additional mental health support for students, among other things.

The district, which is projecting a $21.5 million budget shortfall in fiscal year 2022-23, said it could not afford everything the teachers sought.

The two parties exchanged multiple proposals and the discussions sometimes grew tense. A school board member resigned, citing broken trust.

Colin Planalp, a parent of a kindergartener at Sullivan STEAM Magnet, said Friday he was frustrated with district leadership for not brokering a deal before the walkout.

During past school disruptions — such as when classes went remote for two weeks in January — Planalp said it was easier to explain to his son why he couldn't go to school and when he'd return. The strike has been different, Planalp said, because there was no certain end-date.

"I can't tell you how many times in the last three weeks he has broken down crying because he is upset because he will, and I quote, 'Never get to go back to school,' " Planalp said.

Groups of educators who continued to picket at district schools Friday morning expressed cautious optimism about the tentative deal and eagerness to get back to work.

Outside Sheridan Dual Language Elementary, union steward and Sheridan second grade teacher Natalie Ward said the strike has brought many educators together and proven the support they have from community.

"It brought us a lot closer," Ward said.

Staff writers Erin Adler and Alex Chhith contributed to this report.